r/Cartalk•
wolfote

I have a 2003 Honda CR-V that has struggled to start through the winter and now refuses to start at all...

Charging/Starting

I had the battery replaced a month ago (it was under warranty). I've checked it for parasitic drain but I'm only seeing an acceptable draw of about 10 milliamps. I've checked all fuses and they seem to be intact, I had all four of the spark plugs replaced and two new coils installed (I was able to pull the codes P0300, P0301, and P0304 at one point, but since then no CEL/codes). I checked the resistance on the other coils and they appear to be displaying the same resistance as the replaced coils. I've disconnected the negative terminal from the battery while the car was running to see if the alternator was failing (I've since learned that this is not a good technique) and the car continued to run fine. I took it to Advanced Auto Parts and they used their diagnostic tools which stated the Starter, battery and alternator were good, but I've read mixed reviews of their diagnostic tools.

Now, the engine turns over slightly and slowly but the car refuses to start now after a few seconds of sputtering. The last time I drove it was about a month ago and it seemed to have a rough idle at a stop light. It used to start with a jump (even though I'm positive it's not the battery), but now I can't even jump it to start.

I don't know if it's the starter due to the rough idle issue and the cylinder misfire codes that came up. But, I'm also not going to rule that out completely due to what I've read from people with similar problems. I'm starting to think it's the fuel injection system, but I don't want to replace anything that doesn't need replaced.

I've taken it to numerous shops over the years for this issue (three winters in a row where the car struggled to start, but would start fine later in the day after the morning jump) and none seem to be able to successfully resolve the issue.

Does anyone have any good ideas or leads on what I should look into or what I should do at this point. I'm not able to clean the fuel lines, but I could install new fuel injectors or a starter if need be. Thanks.

Posted Apr 22, 2020, 7:48 PM UTC

27
cousindeagle•

Does the 03 have a distributor? Could it be the distributor screw/pin below the cap?

1
chemicalflyer86•

Sounds like a fuel issue I’ve diagnosed a few by putting the key in the run position going to the back of the car and listening for the buzzing sound of the fuel pump if it takes more the a few seconds you have a problem with fuel pressure might be a filter fuel line pump etc

1
wolfoteOP•

What would you do if there was a fuel line issue. Go to a shop?

1
chemicalflyer86•

Well a shop would be fine if it’s just a line from the tank or the filter a quick YouTube tutorial should help you figure it out the hard finding the bad line lol

1
Orcapa•

Before you worry about anything else on the engine, figure out why it is turning over slowly. Have you replace the battery cables? Have you checked that the ground cables on the car are all good?

1
wolfoteOP•

I'll try a continuity test tomorrow on the battery cables

1
Orcapa•

You're going to want to look for resistance. There should be next to none, and both cables should read about the same. Check also your starter body-to-ground resistance. This will tell you if the engine itself is well grounded. There may be multiple cables for grounding the engine, running to the frame and/or the body. (I think my 2002 Insight has 6 or 7.)

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1